The Bible: Fount of Primitive Morality
By WizenedSage (Galen Rose) ~
Yesterday, my good friend Carl S. called to pass on an observation. He said, “Abraham didn’t free the slaves, Moses didn’t free the slaves, Jesus didn’t free the slaves, St. Paul didn’t free the slaves, Abe Lincoln freed the slaves. Think about it.”
I did think about it, and found a very important message in this observation. If you think about it, you too will see that the Bible presents the morality of primitive men, not the morality of the best of men. Isn’t that odd for a book which is claimed to be the word of god, or at least inspired by god? Just what does that say about those men who set those words to parchment?
We could easily fill a book with examples of Biblical passages which reflect the morality of primitive men, but let me just provide a few. When Adam and Eve disobey god, he doesn’t just curse them, he curses the whole human race. This is even worse than when he threatens to punish the ancestors of men to the third and fourth generation. This, of course, is a Mafia technique; if you want to really scare someone, don’t just threaten him, threaten to harm his family.
Similar examples are the story of two men who displeased god and were buried alive, along with their wives and children (Numbers 16:27-33), and another story of men who plotted against Daniel and were thrown into the lions’ den along with their wives and children (Daniel 6:24). Again, if you want to really, really scare someone . . .
Now note that modern legal systems put all blame and punishment on criminals and ignores their families who had nothing to do with the crime.
Of course, according to the Bible, morality is whatever god says it is, but, if you think killing whole tribes but keeping alive the little virgins to rape at your leisure is moral, as Moses commands in Numbers 31, then I say there is something very seriously wrong with you. In fact, I guess you could say I’m betting my life on it, my “everlasting life” that is.
Other shining examples of Biblical morality include the commands to kill all those horrible homosexuals, blasphemers, disobedient sons, non-virginal brides, and people who work on the Sabbath. Let’s see now, did we miss anyone? How primitively stupid! But was Jesus on board with all this disgusting stuff? Well, as you may recall, Jesus did say that he came to fulfill the law (Old Testament law), not destroy it (Matt. 5:17).
Whenever I see a poster that says “John 3:16,” I wish I had one which says “Hosea 13:16.” Maybe if a lot of Christians saw my poster, a few would be curious and look it up? That’s the passage where Bible-god proclaims, “Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.” Now that’s a proclamation worthy of a primitive man!
In Malachi 2:2-3, the Lord says, “And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name . . . Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces.” Now, really, does that sound like a god of love or a primitive man?
But, all this is Old Testament stuff and Jesus isn’t like that, you say? Well, in fact, Jesus is perhaps the worst of these primitive offenders as he introduces the concept of hell, a punishment which goes on for ever and ever with no possibility of parole, a punishment which is not in the Old Testament (see John 15:6)
Abraham was ready to kill his son to please a voice in his head, Moses orders his soldiers to go back through the camp, each man “killing his brother and friend and neighbor," Jesus said those who abide not in him would be gathered as branches and “cast into the fire” of hell, and St. Paul said women should shut up in church and never have authority over a man. But Abe Lincoln freed the slaves.
For a guide to morality, I’ll take Abe, thanks. You can have all the rest; they’re all way too primitive for my taste. “Good Book” my arse!
Yesterday, my good friend Carl S. called to pass on an observation. He said, “Abraham didn’t free the slaves, Moses didn’t free the slaves, Jesus didn’t free the slaves, St. Paul didn’t free the slaves, Abe Lincoln freed the slaves. Think about it.”I did think about it, and found a very important message in this observation. If you think about it, you too will see that the Bible presents the morality of primitive men, not the morality of the best of men. Isn’t that odd for a book which is claimed to be the word of god, or at least inspired by god? Just what does that say about those men who set those words to parchment?
We could easily fill a book with examples of Biblical passages which reflect the morality of primitive men, but let me just provide a few. When Adam and Eve disobey god, he doesn’t just curse them, he curses the whole human race. This is even worse than when he threatens to punish the ancestors of men to the third and fourth generation. This, of course, is a Mafia technique; if you want to really scare someone, don’t just threaten him, threaten to harm his family.
Similar examples are the story of two men who displeased god and were buried alive, along with their wives and children (Numbers 16:27-33), and another story of men who plotted against Daniel and were thrown into the lions’ den along with their wives and children (Daniel 6:24). Again, if you want to really, really scare someone . . .
Now note that modern legal systems put all blame and punishment on criminals and ignores their families who had nothing to do with the crime.
Of course, according to the Bible, morality is whatever god says it is, but, if you think killing whole tribes but keeping alive the little virgins to rape at your leisure is moral, as Moses commands in Numbers 31, then I say there is something very seriously wrong with you. In fact, I guess you could say I’m betting my life on it, my “everlasting life” that is.
Other shining examples of Biblical morality include the commands to kill all those horrible homosexuals, blasphemers, disobedient sons, non-virginal brides, and people who work on the Sabbath. Let’s see now, did we miss anyone? How primitively stupid! But was Jesus on board with all this disgusting stuff? Well, as you may recall, Jesus did say that he came to fulfill the law (Old Testament law), not destroy it (Matt. 5:17).
Whenever I see a poster that says “John 3:16,” I wish I had one which says “Hosea 13:16.” Maybe if a lot of Christians saw my poster, a few would be curious and look it up? That’s the passage where Bible-god proclaims, “Samaria shall become desolate; for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shall be dashed in pieces, and their women with child shall be ripped up.” Now that’s a proclamation worthy of a primitive man!
In Malachi 2:2-3, the Lord says, “And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name . . . Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces.” Now, really, does that sound like a god of love or a primitive man?
But, all this is Old Testament stuff and Jesus isn’t like that, you say? Well, in fact, Jesus is perhaps the worst of these primitive offenders as he introduces the concept of hell, a punishment which goes on for ever and ever with no possibility of parole, a punishment which is not in the Old Testament (see John 15:6)
Abraham was ready to kill his son to please a voice in his head, Moses orders his soldiers to go back through the camp, each man “killing his brother and friend and neighbor," Jesus said those who abide not in him would be gathered as branches and “cast into the fire” of hell, and St. Paul said women should shut up in church and never have authority over a man. But Abe Lincoln freed the slaves.
For a guide to morality, I’ll take Abe, thanks. You can have all the rest; they’re all way too primitive for my taste. “Good Book” my arse!
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